LiveLeak.com - The Death of Tommy Cooper (Raw) The Death of Tommy Cooper (Raw) The Death Of Comedian Tommy Cooper, On The London Stage 1984 Tommy Cooper was a welsh-born, British prop comedian and magician, famous for the red fez he always wore, and the persona he crafted of a magician whose tricks always go wrong. Cooper died on April 15, 1984, as he performed live on television for a variety show entitled “Live from her Majesty’s”. During a sketch in which he was to pull numerous objects from a gown, just after his assistant helped him put the gown on, Copper collapsed and sat against the curtain while the audience and his assistant laughed, thinking it was an impromptu part of his act. He then fell backwards onto his back, creating more laughs. However, as the minutes passed, it was apparent that something had actually gone wrong, and it wasn’t part of his act. Another curtain was closed to hide where he had fallen, and other acts carried on on the fr Loading the player ...

"I Was There in the Theatre That Night" - The Death of Tommy Cooper, Live on TV | The Huffington Post "I Was There in the Theatre That Night" - The Death of Tommy Cooper, Live on TV 28/05/2012 09:13 | Updated 27 July 2012 John Fleming Sponsor of the annual Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards A couple of days ago, I was chatting to comedian Jeff Stevenson who remembered the night of 15th April 1984 when comedian Tommy Cooper may have died on stage during the Live From Her Majesty's TV show - it was screened live by London Weekend Television on the full ITV network. When she read this in my daily blog , a friend of mine who worked for LWT at the time and whom I shall call Anne O'Nimus, told me: "I was there in the theatre that night, standing at the back of the Circle." She told me: "Bearing in mind that Her Majesty's is a small theatre, I had a good view but wasn't close or behind the curtains.

I never found Tommy Cooper amusing - I never 'got' his act - so I wasn't laughing and, perhaps because of that, as soon as I saw him collapse, I thought he was ill. ["I remember him falling back, clutching at the curtains and falling through them until I could just see his legs twitching and the audience continued to laugh not knowing that he was dying as his legs twitched through the curtain. I think he was either dragged fully back through the curtains or the curtains were arranged in front of him. I mainly remember the twitching legs and realising immediately that the man was ill whilst people around me were laughing and thinking it was part of the act." Someone else I know - comedy scriptwriter Nigel Crowle - tells me: "I was working for the Presentation Department at BBC Television Centre that night, actually running transmission in Pres B, so - as you can imagine - all TV screens were tuned to either BBC 1 or BBC 2. I remember being frustrated that everybody else seemed to have been watching the show live whereas I was cueing up a trail for something like The Two Ronnies.

"In the 1990s, however, I remember talking to Alasdair Macmillan about that night - he had been directing the show. Alasdair said it was one of the worst nights of his life. He knew instantly that something was wrong because Tommy had collapsed mid-act, so they cut to the commercial break early." In my blog a couple of days ago, Jeff Stevenson told me: "The curtains closed and Jimmy Tarbuck , who was the compere, had to stand on stage in front of the curtains filling-in to the audience. He told me later that, as he was talking, he could hear them hitting Tommy's chest behind the curtain, trying to revive him - and Tommy was one of Jimmy's heroes. Terrible, terrible." Nigel Crowle says: "Then - and this is where in retrospect they should never have returned to the show during live transmission - they made Les Dennis go on with Dustin Gee and do their Mavis and Vera (characters from Coronation Street ) routine in front of the curtain, whilst attempts were made behind them to revive Tommy.

"Les Dennis later told me that, as Jimmy Tarbuck told Jeff, it was a harrowing experience because, as he and Dustin were trying to get laughs, (having been told to go on-stage despite knowing that Tommy was in real trouble), they could hear a groaning noise and the sound of people thumping Tommy's chest a few feet behind them." My friend Anne O'Nimus thinks Tommy Cooper died on the stage at Her Majesty's Theatre that night. She tells me: "Afterwards, the press kept chasing the story that he died on camera and LWT stuck to their story that he died in the ambulance on the way to hospital. "Oddly, I read notices of a book recently, purportedly from LWT crew on duty that night, who were also sticking to the company line that Tommy Cooper died later in the ambulance. I think his son stuck to that line as well, so maybe I am wrong. "But, if so, David Bell (LWT's Head of Entertainment at the time) and his cohorts were behaving mighty oddly. Everyone clammed-up whenever I asked about it, which was unusual enough.

I never knew whether it was because they were afraid that it would put the kibosh on live productions or whether the company might be found to be negligent in some way - which was unlikely, given it was a heart attack. There was no public discussion about it in my presence, even at editorials. "I felt that they were lying," my friend Anne O'Nimus told me yesterday, "and I was horrified that anyone would lie about someone's death - but, then, they said LWT's Director of Programmes Cyril Bennett fell from that window didn't they?" Cyril Bennett was a hugely popular man at LWT and in the television industry. In November 1976, it was said, he was leaning out of the window of his flat in Dolphin Square to see whether his car was there and fell to his death. The verdict was accidental death.

Follow John Fleming on Twitter: More: “I was there in the theatre that night” – The death of Tommy Cooper, live on TV | John Fleming's blog - SO IT GOES “I was there in the theatre that night” – The death of Tommy Cooper, live on TV The day the magic died – live on nationwide TV (This was also published in the Huffington Post ) In my blog a couple of days ago , comedian Jeff Stevenson remembered the night of 15th April 1984 when comedian Tommy Cooper may have died on stage during the Live From Her Majesty’s TV show – which was screened live by London Weekend Television on the full ITV network. When she read this, a friend of mine who worked for LWT at the time and whom I shall call Anne O’Nimus, told me: “I was there in the theatre that night, standing at the back of the Circle.” She told me: “Bearing in mind that Her Majesty’s is a small theatre, I had a good view but wasn’t close or behind the curtains.

I never found Tommy Cooper amusing – I never ‘got’ his act – so I wasn’t laughing and, perhaps because of that, as soon as I saw him collapse, I thought he was ill. Tommy Cooper at Her Majesty’s on the night of 15 April 1984 “I remember him falling back, clutching at the curtains and falling through them until I could just see his legs twitching and the audience continued to laugh not knowing that he was dying as his legs twitched through the curtain. I think he was either dragged fully back through the curtains or the curtains were arranged in front of him. I mainly remember the twitching legs and realising immediately that the man was ill whilst people around me were laughing and thinking it was part of the act.” Someone else I know – comedy scriptwriter Nigel Crowle – tells me: “I was working for the Presentation Department at BBC Television Centre that night, actually running transmission in Pres B, so – as you can imagine – all TV screens were tuned to either BBC 1 or BBC 2. I remember being frustrated that everybody else seemed to have been watching the show live whereas I was cueing up a trail for something like The Two Ronnies.

“In the 1990s, however, I remember talking to Alasdair Macmillan about that night – he had been directing the show. Alasdair said it was one of the worst nights of his life. He knew instantly that something was wrong because Tommy had collapsed mid-act, so they cut to the commercial break early.” In my blog a couple of days ago, Jeff Stevenson told me: “The curtains closed and Jimmy Tarbuck , who was the compere, had to stand on stage in front of the curtains filling-in to the audience. He told me later that, as he was talking, he could hear them hitting Tommy’s chest behind the curtain, trying to revive him – and Tommy was one of Jimmy’s heroes. Terrible, terrible.” Nigel Crowle says: “Then – and this is where in retrospect they should never have returned to the show during live transmission – they made Les Dennis go on with Dustin Gee and do their Mavis and Vera (characters from Coronation Street ) routine in front of the curtain, whilst attempts were made behind them to revive Tommy.

“Les Dennis later told me that, as Jimmy Tarbuck told Jeff, it was a harrowing experience because, as he and Dustin were trying to get laughs, (having been told to go on-stage despite knowing that Tommy was in real trouble), they could hear a groaning noise and the sound of people thumping Tommy’s chest a few feet behind them.” My friend Anne O’Nimus thinks Tommy Cooper died on the stage at Her Majesty’s Theatre that night. She tells me: “Afterwards, the press kept chasing the story that he died on camera and LWT stuck to their story that he died in the ambulance on the way to hospital. “Oddly, I read notices of a book recently, purportedly from LWT crew on duty that night, who were also sticking to the company line that Tommy Cooper died later in the ambulance. I think his son stuck to that line as well, so maybe I am wrong. “But, if so, David Bell (LWT’s Head of Entertainment at the time) and his cohorts were behaving mighty oddly. Everyone clammed-up whenever I asked about it, which was unusual enough.

I never knew whether it was because they were afraid that it would put the kibosh on live productions or whether the company might be found to be negligent in some way – which was unlikely, given it was a heart attack. There was no public discussion about it in my presence, even at editorials. “I felt that they were lying,” my friend Anne O’Nimus told me yesterday, “and I was horrified that anyone would lie about someone’s death – but, then, they said LWT’s Director of Programmes Cyril Bennett fell from that window didn’t they?” Cyril Bennett was a hugely popular man at LWT and in the television industry. In November 1976, it was said, he was leaning out of the window of his flat in Dolphin Square to see whether his car was there and fell to his death. The verdict was accidental death. PLEASE SHARE THIS BLOG VIA: Died Onstage : snopes.com Died Onstage Died Onstage A quick romp through a list of various deaths that took place either onstage or in front of the cameras. Claim: Several actors have kicked the bucket in front of an audience. Status: True.

Long part of the canon of contemporary lore is the tale of an unfortunate actor who expires on stage, his adoring audience unaware of his sudden deceasement because they think his collapse part of the show — while they clap and cheer at the brilliance of his death scene performance, unknown to them he is gasping his last. What follows is a quick romp through a growing list of those who died in the blaze of the footlights or on camera, or who were rumored to have met the Grim Reaper while treading the boards. At least one thespian death actually does match the legend (see if you can find it). Sports figures are not included in this compilation, even though a great many of them have expired while doing their thing as the public watched. Moliere (died 21 February 1673) This French playwright and actor-manager collapsed during the fourth performance of his newly penned Le Malade Imaginaire (The Hypochondriac). Overwhelmed by a coughing fit, he was carried to his home in the Rue de Richelieu, Paris, where he died.

Felix Mottl (died 2 July 1911) This Austrian conductor died in Munich at the age of 55 while conducting Act II of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. Alexander Woolcott (died 23 January 1943) During a radio show (a round table discussion with four others on Hitlerism), Woolcott suffered a heart attack at 7:15 p.m. and died in hospital four hours later. Hundreds of people tuned into the show were unaware anything was amiss. Indeed, listeners reported that the writer, known for his incisive and sometimes stinging comments, seemed to have taken less than his usual part in the broadcast. Johnny Ace (died 25 December 1954) Rhythm and blues recording star Johnny Ace died during a show he was giving in Houston, but did so offstage. During a five minute break, the singer was amusing himself with a game of Russian Roulette (one bullet in the chamber). He lost. Tyrone Power (died 15 November 1958) Tyrone Power suffered a heart attack during the filming of a fencing scene in Solomon and Sheba in Madrid, Spain.

He died only minutes after being loaded into an ambulance. Harry Einstein (died 24 November 1958) As famed comedian Parkyakarkus, Harry Einstein expired while performing at a Friars Club roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. He collapsed onto Milton Berle's shoulder. Eduard van Beinum (died 13 April 1959) Chief conductor at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, van Beinum was taken ill after rehearsing the first two movements of a Brahms symphony, and died immediately after stepping off the podium aged 58. Leonard Warren (died 4 March 1960) Just after he completed his second-act aria in Verdi's La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) at the New York's Metropolitan Opera, Warren plunged face-forward onto the stage. The curtain was rung down, and it was announced a half hour later the singer had died of a massive stroke. Paul Mantz (died 8 July 1965) This aviation pioneer and legendary movie stunt pilot died in Yuma, Arizona, during the filming of The Flight Of The Phoenix.

As three motion picture cameras ground away, his plane hit a small sand dune, overturned and disintegrated. Though semi-retired from stunt work, Mantz was covering for his partner, Frank Tallman, who'd six weeks earlier broken his leg pushing his son's go-cart. Nelson Eddy (died 6 March 1967) This famous actor and singer suffered a fatal stroke while performing onstage at the Doral Country Club in Miami at age 65. He died in hospital the next day. Joseph Keilberth (died 20 July 1968) This 60-year-old conductor died at the National Theatre in Munich while leading Tristan and Isolde. George Ostroska (died January 1970) While playing the lead in Macbeth at the Crawford Livingston Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ostroska dropped dead of a heart attack at the beginning of the second act. He was 32. David Burns (died March 12 1971) This 70-year-old actor died onstage of a heart attack during a performance of 70 Girls 70 in Philadelphia.

Jerome Rodale (died 5 June 1971) In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response — Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast. Leslie Harvey (died 3 May 1972) The lead guitarist of the Glasgow band Stone the Crows died after being electrocuted onstage at Swansea's Top Rank Ballroom. Irene Ryan (died 26 April 1973) Best known as "Granny" on TV's Beverly Hillbillies, this spritely 71-year-old suffered a stroke while performing in the Broadway musical Pippin and died six weeks later.

Carl Barnett (died 23 April 1974) This 59-year-old expired of a heart attack while conducting Bach's Come, Sweet Death at the Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. It was his first and last performance of that piece. Chris Chubbuck (died 15 July 1974) After surprisingly opening her morning community affairs talk show with a newscast, this 30-year-old reporter announced, "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts and in living color, you are going to see another first — attempted suicide." She then drew a revolver and shot herself in the head. Chubbuck expired 14 hours later in a hospital. Sid James (died 26 April 1976) Best known for his Carry On roles, the grand old man of dirty laughter collapsed onstage at the Sunderland Empire during a performance of The Mating Game and died in hospital shortly thereafter. He'd suffered a heart attack.

Cyril Ritchard (died 19 December 1977) This 83-year-old actor suffered a heart attack during a 25 November 1977 performance in Chicago of the musical Side By Side, causing him to slip into a coma from which he never recovered. Karl Wallenda (died 22 March 1978) This famed aerialist died at age 73 while attempting to walk a wire suspended 123 feet in the air between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bill Stewart (died 20 June 1979) While attempting to film war destruction in Nicaragua, this ABC television news correspondent and his interpreter, Juan Espinosa, were executed by a National Guard soldier. Surviving members of the ABC crew managed to catch the murder on tape, and the footage was later shown on news broadcasts. Arnold Soboloff (died 28 October 1979) This 48-year-old actor suffered a heart attack during a New York City performance of Peter Pan.

Vic Morrow (died 23 July 1982) In Hollywood's most infamous on-set tragedy, Vic Morrow and two child actors in Twilight Zone, The Movie were killed when struck by a helicopter during the late-night filming of a mock Vietnam battle scene in Valencia, California. All exposed film was immediately seized, but some eventually made its way into the 1992 compilation film Death Scenes 2 . Jackie Wilson (died 23 January 1984) Eight years after collapsing on stage during a performance and slipping into a coma, this singer died. He'd been felled in Cherry Hill, N.J. on 25 September 1975 while touring with Dick Clark's touring rock-'n'-roll revival. Though Wilson emerged from the coma a year later, treatment in medical facilities failed to restore his health. Tommy Cooper (died 15 April 1984) Known as the fez-wearing magician whose tricks always seemed to go wrong, this British comedian suffered a heart attack during a televised performance. Given the usual nature of his act, the audience took some time to realize that this really wasn't part of it. He died later in hospital.

Eric Morecambe (died 29 May 1984) This half of Britain's Morecambe and Wise comedy team died in hospital the day after suffering a heart attack during a curtain call of a performance in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. He was 58 years old. Jon-Erik Hexum (died 12 October 1984) Hexum died of a gunshot wound after he accidentally shot himself in the head with a .44-caliber magnum pistol loaded with blanks while on the set of the TV series Cover-Up. Wadding from the blank cartridge had been driven into his skull. Hexum was replaced in the series by Antony Hamilton, but the show didn't last all that long, running only from 22 September 1985 before being canceled. Yoshiuki Takada (died 10 September 1985) The Sankai Juku Dance Company of Toyko had been performing The Dance Of Birth And Death on the side of Seattle's Mutual Life building when Takada's rope broke and he plunged six stories to his death. The film of his demise was shown on the nightly news.

Jane Dornacker (died 22 October 1986) Millions heard the final broadcast of this traffic reporter for WNBC radio in New York City as the helicopter she was in crashed into the Hudson River. She died on the way to the hospital. The pilot survived. This was Dornacker's second helicopter crash that year. Edith Webster (died 22 November 1986) After singing several choruses of "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" during a performance of The Drunkard, this 60-year-old actress collapsed on stage for her scripted death scene and suffered an unscripted fatal heart attack. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. Nancy McCormick (died 25 November 1986) This Cincinnati reporter for radio station WKRC was killed along with the pilot in the crash of the station's helicopter. She was not broadcasting at the time. R. Budd Dwyer (died 22 January 1987) This Pennsylvania state treasurer staged the best-known televised suicide.

About to be sentenced on charges of conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and racketeering for taking a $300,000 kickback on a state computer contract, Dwyer convened a press conference in his office. While the film rolled, he handed out a twenty-page press statement, made a few remarks, then placed the barrel of a .357 revolver in his mouth and pulled the trigger. The tape was shown on the nightly news. Dick Shawn (died 18 April 1987) While giving a comedy performance at the UC San Diego campus, Shawn fell and struck his head on the stage. The comedian lay there for nearly five minutes before the audience realized it was not part of his act and an ambulance was called. He died forty-five minutes later in hospital, apparently of a heart attack. Warne Marsh (died 18 December 1987) This jazz saxophonist died of heart attack after collapsing onstage while giving a performance at Donte's in North Hollywood. According to another member of the quartet, Marsh "just slipped off his stool." He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Brian Jewell (died 20 October 1990) Thrill seekers on "haunted hayride" in New Jersey got more of a thrill than they'd bargained for when it was discovered the teen playing the part of the hanged man was the real thing. The stunt had gone fatally wrong. William Anthony Odom (died 26 October 1990) This North Carolina 15-year-old who'd been staging a gallows scene at a Halloween party accidentally hanged himself when the noose somehow tightened. Joseph Burrus (died 30 October 1990) An amateur magician and resident of Fresno, California, Burrus came up with an escape stunt that would have done his idol Houdini proud — he'd be bound, confined in a plastic coffin, then buried under seven tons of soil and concrete. Handcuffed and chained, he was lowered into the hole. Assistants shoveled three feet of soil onto the casket, then a truck poured concrete into the hole. As they were topping up the cement, the level suddenly dropped eighteen inches.

Fifteen minutes of excavating later, rescuers reached Burrus, but it was too late — he'd been crushed. Redd Foxx (died 11 October 1991) Actor/comedian Redd Foxx underwent a heart attack on the set of The Royal Family, a new sitcom he was to appear in. Best known for his curmudgeonly role in Sanford and Son, this time it really was the big one, Elizabeth. Brandon Lee (died 31 March 1993) A stunt gone wrong during the filming of The Crow cost the son of Bruce Lee his life. A blank fired from a .44 magnum revolver felled him. He died hours later in hospital. The metal tip of one of the dummy bullets had somehow pulled loose from its brass casing. When the dummies were unloaded and replaced with blanks, the metal tip remained behind in the gun's cylinder. As soon as the blank went off, its explosive force propelled the dummy tip through the gun barrel — and into Lee's body. Rumor to the contrary, footage of Lee's fatal accident is not included in The Crow.

Tip Tipping (died 6 February 1993) While filming a segment for BBC's 999 (a show which dramatically reconstructs real-life narrow escapes), this veteran stuntman died when his main parachute and two reserves failed to open. Jack Spector (died 8 March 1994) This popular radio host suffered a fatal heart attack while broadcasting popular music on WHLI in Garden City, Long Island. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival. The song playing at the time of his heart attack was I'm in the Mood For Love. Crash Morgan (died 6 October 1995) This drummer for the group Big Sugar died mid-number while performing in Waterloo, Iowa. He was 36. Daniel McLain (died 8 November 1995) Better known as Country Dick Montana of the underground rock band The Beat Farmers, McLain expired on stage of a heart attack during a sold out performance at the Longhorn Saloon in Whistler, B.C.

Rob Harris (died 14 December 1995) During the filming of a Mountain Dew commercial, this sky surfer's parachute failed to open and he plunged to his death. Despite rumors to the contrary, though the finished commercial contains some footage of Harris, none comes from his final jump. Richard Versalle (died 5 January 1996) This 63-year-old tenor died onstage at New York's Metropolitan Opera immediately after delivering the line: "Too bad you can only live so long" in Janacek's The Makropulos Case. It was the first performance and Versalle, who was playing the legal clerk Vitek alongside Jessye Norman, climbed a 20 ft ladder to file a legal brief, but had a heart attack and plunged to the ground. Janacek's opera is about the secret of eternal life. Johnny "Guitar" Watson (died 17 May 1996) While performing at Yokohama's Blues Cafe, this 61-year-old rhythm and blues legend suffered a heart attack. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Herbert Khaury aka "Tiny Tim" (died 30 November 1996) Performing at a Minneapolis fund raiser, Tiny Tim cut short his rendition of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips." Turning to leave the stage, he was felled by a heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Gordon Williams (died 25 April 1997) This 63-year-old British magician died on stage during a charity show in Sheffield, Yorks. Antony Wheeler (died 17 August 1997) Playing Judas in a Greek production of Jesus Christ Superstar, Wheeler's performance was supposed to conclude with Judas hanging himself, a stunt he'd successfully negotiated 20 previous times. This time he forgot to fasten the rope to his safety harness. Antario Teodoro Filho (died 2 January 1998) During a live show, this Brazilian radio presenter and local politician was shot dead by a gunman who burst into the studio.

He was hit by 10 bullets Owen Hart (died 23 May 1999) This professional wrestler lost his life when he fell from a height of 90 feet as he was being lowered into the ring for the "Over the Edge" sports entertainment event in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark Sandman (died 5 July 1999) Lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Morphine, 47-year-old Mark Sandman collapsed on stage during a concert in Rome. He had suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Grover Washington Jr. (died 17 December 1999) This jazz saxophonist and composer suffered a heart attack and collapsed after taping four songs that Friday evening for The Saturday Early Show on CBS. He died in hospital in New York City. Ron Watson (died 17 March 2000) While putting on a magic show for a group of hospital patients at Tokoroa Hospital in New Zealand, "Uncle Ron the Magician" collapsed and was pronounced dead 45 minutes later. The patients at first believed his crumpling onstage was part of the act.

Renato Di Paolo (died 22 April 2000) Another actor playing Judas mistakenly hanged himself in Camerata Nuova, a town 45 miles death was captured on film by someone shooting a video of the outdoor play. James Tuozzolo (died 31 December 2000) This principal trumpet player with the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra collapsed of a heart attack on stage just after performing a solo and died in hospital. Giuseppe Sinopoli (died 20 April 2001) This 54-year-old conductor collapsed and died of a heart attack in Berlin while conducting perhaps the most emotionally charged scene in Verdi's Aida. John Ritter (died 11 September 2003) During the taping of the TV sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, the 54-year-old actor was stricken by a previously undiagnosed heart problem. He died in hospital later that night.

Darrell Abbott (died 9 December 2004) 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott, formerly of the metal act Pantera, was shot by a jilted fan while performing with his new group, Damageplan. Barbara "curtain call" Mikkelson Last updated: 20 January 2007 Tommy Cooper's Last Act Jimmy was took under Cooper's wing and a friendship was truly formed. Jimmy was happy to play stooge to Tommy in those last, fateful, seven minutes. 'As usual, he was supposed to make a mess of the last trick,' said Jimmy. 'He was wearing a long cloak and said, "There's no trapdoor here." Then a ladder came through his legs, followed by a milk churn and a long pole. Finally, I was supposed to clamber between his legs and on to the stage.' Jimmy was waiting for his cue when he saw Tommy stand back against the curtain, then he appeared to simply lean back into it,. A blonde assistant went to help him with his magic cloak. An eyewitness said, 'She tied it around his neck and walked off, but as she turned away all of a sudden he crumpled.

His head went back and everyone heard a snoring sound. No one knew if it was a joke or not. Everyone was laughing - they thought it was part of the show.' Ten minutes later at 8.40pm, Tommy Cooper died. Meanwhile, neither the live theatre audience nor the watching TV audience were told anything and it was on with the show. After the unplanned ad break, it was Jimmy, dumbstruck and numb, who went back on stage and filled in with a two and a half minute stand-up slot. Jimmy Tarbuck unbelievably carried on with his routine. He didn't know that Tommy had actually died. Jimmy said, 'I really don't know how I continued. I really can't answer that. I don't really remember what I did. They didn't tell me that he had died, but I could tell it was serious. When I went backstage one of the first aid people was giving him the kiss of life. It was numbing.' Click here for how the Daily Mirror reported the tragic death of the legendary TC. Tommy loved flowers, his ashes were scattered over some daffodils, in his back garden, by his son Thomas. 'For most people, life is a bloody grind.

They do jobs that they hate - if they are lucky enough to have jobs. So when someone comes along who makes them forget their troubles, it's a relief for them. There is something about me that makes people giggle. I honestly don't know what it is and I don't want to know, because maybe if I became too self-conscious I'd lose the gift. All I ask is that when I pop off, people say, "Tommy Cooper? He was a right scream that bloke." Thomas Frederick Cooper 1921-1984 Tommy Cooper's last act fooled us all, says Jimmy Tarbuck - Wales Online Tommy Cooper's last act fooled us all, says Jimmy Tarbuck THE night of April 15, 1984, was one no comedy fan will ever forget. Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email The night of April 15, 1984, was one no comedy fan will ever forget. Millions tuned in to watch the hit variety show Live From Her Majesty’s, only to see Tommy Cooper suffer a massive fatal heart attack right there on stage.

But, as he collapsed to uproarious applause from an audience who thought it all part of his act, the 63-year-old Welsh comedy legend died as he had lived – making people laugh. “God, that was the saddest night of my entire career,” remembered the show’s compere Jimmy Tarbuck, speaking for the first time about that fateful evening of 25 years ago this Wednesday. Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This trailer: Video Loading Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Watch Next “Tommy was doing the famous magic cloak skit, and I was hiding behind the curtain passing him different props which he’d then appear to pull from inside his long flowing gown. “I’d hand him a paint pot, a plank of wood, gradually getting bigger and bigger until the final gag, which was me coming out carrying a step ladder and complaining I couldn’t fit it through his legs.

“But we never got to finish the routine because he suddenly dropped on to his haunches and was just sort of sitting there upright with his knees underneath him.” 30 Tommy Cooper jokes that show his comedy genius: View gallery The 69-year-old Liverpudlian comedian recalled how the fez-wearing funnyman had looked frail that evening – theatre staff even having to knock up a makeshift dressing room for him in the wings so he wouldn’t have to climb any stairs – but he’d put it down to the ravages of years spent drinking and smoking heavily. Jimmy added that no-one knew that something was wrong, assuming instead the tumble was all part of Cooper’s usual slapstick act. “I was watching on a monitor backstage and we all thought he’d just stuck another physical gag into his set; he was a real terror for introducing new bits and pieces without warning. “But, as time ticked on, we realised something terrible had happened and I called for a quick commercial break,” Jimmy told Wales on Sunday. Several seconds of blank screen followed as London Weekend Television’s master control contacted regional stations to get them to start transmitting adverts.

Meanwhile, back on the London stage, desperate efforts where being made to get the curtain around Cooper’s motionless 6ft 3in slumped frame. “He was a big bloke and very heavy; we just couldn’t move him,” said Jimmy. “And this show was live, don’t forget, so I told Les Dennis and Dustin Gee, who were up next, that they’d have to work in front of the curtain. “Dustin said that they needed more room and I replied: ‘Well, you ain’t gonna get it. You’re professionals, just get on with it.’ “Howard Keel was supposed to be following them and I recall telling him: ‘Howard, Tom’s not well, can you sing at the front of the stage?’ and to this day I’ll never forget his reply. “He said, ‘I’ll sing up the f****** aisle if Tommy wants,’ which had me crying with laughter, despite everything. But with Donnie Osmond and a 24-strong dancing troupe on after Keel, Tommy had to be stretchered away.

“One of the first to him had been my manager Peter Pritchard and the guy from St John Ambulance, but they couldn’t revive him and Tom was eventually declared dead upon arrival at Westminster Hospital,” said Jimmy. “No-one knew he had gone, not even backstage. They told me he was doing OK just so I didn’t throw a wobbler while presenting the rest of the show because, of course, we had to soldier on. “The nightly news bulletin came live from the theatre straight after we’d finished and it was announced to the whole country that Tommy had died. “It was a huge shock to everyone who’d been roaring with him right up until the very end.” And Jimmy added that Tommy would always be his hero. “I’d known him years, shared a dressing room with him on my very first Royal Command performance in 1964 and he was just lovely to me,” he said. “He was one of those comics who could just walk on and be hit with a wall of love – people simply adored him and that’s why he was so successful. “It’s all about likeability and, by heck, he had that in diamonds.

“There are men who tell funny jokes, like Bob Monkhouse for example, and there are men who simply are funny, and that was Tommy Cooper – Tom had funny bones. “He was the comedian’s comedian.” Tommy’s showbiz career started with a magic set: next page Tommy’s showbiz career started with a magic set BORN Thomas Frederick Cooper in a rented house in Caerphilly in 1921, his showbiz beginnings came when he was bought a magic set when he was eight by an aunt. After being demobbed after World War II, he started auditioning his conjuror’s act around the UK, but noticed the botched tricks got the biggest laughs and developed his act accordingly. His bumbling persona won the British public’s hearts and he proved a big hit on the variety circuit and later on TV. There was a dark side, though, with stories of his heavy boozing. His long-suffering wife Gwen – whom he called “Dove” – once said: “ There is one trick Tommy can do really well and that’s making a drink disappear,” while the man himself is even said to have poured alcohol over his breakfast cereal one morning, reasoning that it was the healthier option.

“Well, milk is full of cholesterol!” he said. He initially drank to cure his stage fright and told his friend and fellow comic Eric Sykes: “People say I’ve only got to walk out on stage and they laugh. If only they knew what it takes to walk out on stage in the first place.” But the booze eventually became a problem that began seriously affecting both his work and his family life. He once hit his wife in front of their two kids and she left him, but would always return despite his drunken rages and his reputed infidelities. However, a heart attack in Rome in 1977 led to him putting a stop to both the violence and the affairs. Cooper still drank, though – “for medicinal purposes only,” he’d joke, “I’m sick of being sober”. And as a result some gigs would be a self-destructive disaster of fluffed lines, forgotten routines, heckles and, sometimes, even total no-shows. He was also a prodigious smoker favouring up to 40 cigars a day, which led to him suffering a glut of other ailments, such as chronic bronchitis and severe circulation problems.

Rumours are he was the tightest man in entertainment too, his biography claiming Cooper would frequently tip taxi drivers by slipping a tea bag in their top pockets and saying: “Have a drink on me!” However, he cut down on the sauce just enough for his later TV performances to be something of a revelation. Accordingly, his comedic influence is as strong today as ever, finding fans in everyone from Bruce Forsyth to self-confessed “Cooper nut” Sir Anthony Hopkins, who is even patron of The Tommy Cooper Society. A statue of him was unveiled in his Welsh hometown in February last year, unveiled by Hopkins himself. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent Footage of Tommy Cooper's death on stage shown on YouTube - Telegraph Footage of Tommy Cooper's death on stage shown on YouTube Footage of Tommy Cooper dying on stage can be watched on YouTube.

Tens of thousands of people have watched scenes of Tommy Cooper collapsing from a heart attack during a live TV performance in 1984 Photo: PA By Chris Irvine 12:54AM BST 09 May 2009 Tens of thousands of people have watched scenes of the comedian collapsing from a heart attack during a live TV performance in 1984. Most of the audience watching the London Weekend Television variety show Live From her Majesty's, thought it was part of his act and were still laughing, until it became apparent he was seriously ill. Although YouTube has been alerted to clip, the video sharing site has not removed it. It does highlight users that it is potentially "inappropriate" content however. Philip Davies, the Tory MP who sits on the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, said: "Most people would find that tasteless," he said. "Everybody knows he died on stage. I don't think we need to see this to be reminded of that. "They ought to have some regard to his family. It does YouTube a discredit.

"If they have decided that this is the sort of material that people should be free to watch then I think they should reconsider." John Beyer, from Mediawatch UK, said: "This is very poor taste. That the broadcasters have not repeated the incident show they have a respect for him and I think that ought to apply also on YouTube. "I wish YouTube and user content sites would have a bit more responsibility at the centre, rather than just expect people at the periphery to control things. "They should take it all down out of respect for Mr Cooper and his remaining family."

Question: Which comedian died on stage during the TV show “Live From Her Majesty’s” in April 1984?
Answer: Tommy Cooper